Of Spiders
by Wanderingcourier
Summary: In which Arthur is significantly more than he seems, and Kiku stepped into his web long before he ever realised. AU, Oneshot


**An: What on earth have I done**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia, nor do I intend any offense or infringement.**

* * *

_"__W__ill you walk into my parlour?" said the Spider to the Fly,_  
_ 'Tis the prettiest little parlour that ever you did spy;_  
_ The way into my parlour is up a winding stair,_  
_ And I've a many curious things to shew when you are there."_

_"Oh no, no," said the little Fly, "to ask me is in vain,_  
_ For who goes up your winding stair_  
_ -can ne'er come down again."_

* * *

It was raining when Kiku met him. That was nothing unusual, it always seemed to be raining in London. He was not sure what about the rain made it seem so much more heavy, so much more ominous, but perhaps he should have paid more attention to it.

Kiku had been making his usual rounds. Being a milkman was not terribly exciting, but it payed the bills, and as an immigrant, a steady job like his was a godsend. The other man had been sitting on his porch, seemingly staring into space. Kiku had admittedly done a double take as he had been walking up to the porch and he first noticed the man. His skin was the same colour as the milk Kiku delivered, and his hair was the same color as straw.

"Good morning," Kiku chanced. He hadn't ever seen the owner of the house- who this man presumably was- and had heard nothing about him except that he was a recluse.

The other man looked up sharply, as if he was startled by Kiku's presence. It was then that Kiku saw the other's eyes for the first time. They were a bright, bright green, one that struck Kiku as unnatural. He quickly pushed this strange repulsion down. The grimace on the man's face made Kiku wonder if he had crossed a line in speaking. After all, he had met many who thought that he should hold his tongue in the presence of his "superiors." Perhaps this man was like-minded?

But as quickly as the grimace had appeared, it melted away into a small smile. "Oh, hello. You startled me."

Kiku bowed his head. "I'm terribly sorry. I didn't mean to..."

The other man's smile grew, though his eyes looked somewhat calculating. "It's quite alright." He paused for a moment. "Your english is very good. You've been here awhile, yes?"

Kiku shook his head as he leant down, depositing the two bottles of milk by the porch step. "Only for a few years. My brother taught me most of what I know, before I moved here..."

The other nodded. "That sounds like an interesting story. I don't suppose you could tell me more?" He stood up. "You can come inside if you like..."

Kiku stopped himself from nodding. Something about this man's voice was soothing, coaxing. Kiku half wanted to go along with it, to follow the man into the parlour.

But something about the man seemed... off. Like a clay model that had been smudged, or like... _like a corpse_. Kiku shoved the thought away. This man was very clearly alive. But then, why were all of Kiku's instincts telling him that this man was not right, in the same subtle, strange manner of a corpse?

"Sorry, I still have some deliveries to make." The words seemed strange in his mouth, as though he was speaking around mud.

The other's frown returned. "Couldn't you put them off, pet? Just for a minute?" Kiku shivered almost imperceptibly at the words. He was all at once filled with dread, though he was unable to even think of why.

"Sorry, no. Maybe some other time." Why had he said that last part? He just wanted to get out of here. Somehow, he felt that whatever was in that house was... wrong.

The other nodded. "I look forward to it."

Kiku didn't doubt that. As he hurried off to his cart and the next house, and all those after that, he swore he could feel green eyes burning into his back until he finally turned down onto the next street.

* * *

It wasn't until the next week that he would learn the man's name. He had been on the porch again, and had greeted Kiku with a smile. "It's good to see you again."

Kiku nodded. "You too." As he had thought over the last week, he had dismissed his previous feeling as nothing more than paranoia. Looking at the man again, he seemed nothing but normal, if oddly coloured, and Kiku was no one to judge that.

The man nodded, and then blinked, as if he had just remembered something. "I haven't introduced myself, have I? My name is Arthur Kirkland."

Kiku felt vaguely like he had been caught in a trap, but dismissed the feeling just as quickly as it arrived. "I am Kiku Honda. It's nice to meet you."

Arthur laughed. It sounded faintly like a bell, though one with a ragged echo. "Pleased to make your acquaintance, Kiku." Arthur's eyes raked over Kiku. The emotion in his eyes was... unidentifiable, at best.

Kiku did not like how he could not read Arthur. It was unsettling, as well as the fact that Arthur had used Kiku's first name. Of course, it wasn't as if he could say anything to the man. He wondered if Arthur had done it on purpose, but that didn't make any sense... Then, nothing about the feelings this man evoked in Kiku did.

"You know, now would count as some other time. Surely you could come in for a few minutes?"

Kiku's first instinct was to say yes. After all, what was really the harm? Arthur seemed friendly enough, if a bit too personal. The bottles of milk felt suddenly heavy, slippery in Kiku's hand. He glanced nervously back at his cart. "I think my boss would be angry if I stopped to socialize too much..."

Arthur stood up, took a step closer. Kiku had to look up to see his face. "How would he know?" Arthur smiled wider. "I'll explain the situation if you get in trouble. Please, _come in,_ pet."

Kiku could not identify what was different about the man's voice, but it quieted any alarm bells in his head. He set the bottles down.

The dog next door began to bark, shattering the thick feeling in the air. When Kiku looked back up, he was taken aback by the scowl on Arthur's face, though it was thankfully not aimed at Kiku himself. No, Arthur was now glaring at the dog, which continued to bark wildly.

Kiku straightened back up, clearing his throat uncomfortably. Arthur's gaze snapped back to Kiku, only to melt into a smile that was just short of natural.

Kiku shook his head. "My apologies Mr. Kirkland, but I still have deliveries." Arthur nodded understandingly. "Of course, of course. Another day, for sure."

Kiku nodded dumbly. After another moment's hesitation, he turned, and he was now certain the he could feel the man's gaze on him until he turned the corner. Once he was on the next street, he paused, looking behind him.

Nothing. The neighborhood was silent. He shivered and returned to pushing his cart. He could have sworn the dog had still been sporadically barking before he had turned...

* * *

A few days later, Kiku got a new route. His boss had seemed... not nervous, but definitely off. Kiku noticed him looking over his shoulder, but asking seemed like an unfruitful endeavor. He had long learned to not ask questions of his superiors, no matter what the situation.

Kiku mused on this as he set off that morning. He was, however, torn from his thoughts as he realized that his new route was almost the opposite as his old route, except that he skipped a street and came back to it at the end. That... didn't make any sense. The routes were supposed to be a circle, so that no one had to be out for extra lengths of time. The way this route was planned, it ended in what used to be the middle of his old route.

His stomach dropped to his knees. The end of the route was on the street Arthur lived on. There was no way... Arthur was clearly well-off, certainly, but why would he even get the route changed if he could? Did the man think it that important for Kiku to not have deliveries by the time he arrived at Arthur's house? Arthur had been overly enthusiastic about visiting with Kiku, yes, but this was... frightening.

Kiku was torn from his reverie as he turned onto his next street. There was a missing dog poster pasted on a nearby lamp post, and he tried very hard to not think about his last prolonged encounter with Arthur. He had admittedly been avoiding speaking with the man, rushing through his deliveries and doing his best to dodge any questions. It felt rude, yes, but Kiku had not yet stepped into Arthur's house. He was not entirely sure why he was so apprehensive about the whole thing, but he had only become more so after the disappearance of the dog.

Not that Kiku would say anything about it.

He was by now on the end of his second-to-last street.

Kiku took a deep breath. He felt like he had a twenty pound weight in his gut, but he pressed on anyways, turning the corner.

The street was dead silent. Even the general hum of spring seemed muted as he began to walk. Arthur was sitting on his porch, Kiku could see him, feel his gaze trace over him. He set down the bottles. Two houses left until he reached Arthur. He took another deep breath. He needed to calm down. being panicked wouldn't help at all.

Arthur was the next house over. Kiku set the bottles down, straightened up, rolled his shoulders. There was nothing to be afraid of. Arthur wouldn't hurt him.

He was in front of Arthur's house now. He had calmed down substantially, though he couldn't say why. He grabbed the two bottles and walked up to the porch. Arthur smiled. "You've come later than usual, pet."

Kiku nodded. "I got a new route. This street comes a lot later on this route." Arthur nodded understandingly. "Do you know why they changed it?" Kiku shook his head. "Not really. I... don't ask many questions at work." Arthur nodded again. "It is a pity," He stopped, thinking for a moment, "That people like him ignore people like you."

Something was wrong with the statement, but Kiku could not figure out what. He only barely remembered his manners, replying, "I'm not sure what you mean. He is my superior."

Arthur looked carefully at Kiku, his still smiling lips twitching. "Kiku. You're... different. Special." He stood up, opening the door. "Come inside. I'll show you."

Kiku glanced back at his cart. There weren't many bottles left, so maybe...

Arthur's eyes hardened, but his smile never slipped. "Kiku. _Come in."_ The bottles slipped out of Kiku's hand, only luck keeping them from shattering on the ground. He thought faintly of a dog, but why...

_"P__lease.__"_

Kiku stepped onto the porch, looked through the door. The furniture had sheets thrown over them, and the clocks didn't appear to have been used in years. The windows were boarded over, but Kiku had seen the back of the house as he passed through the adjacent street, they had never been boarded up. There had always been lights.

As Kiku walked through the door, the first thing he saw was a bright light, blindingly bright. He heard music, laughter, a dog... The last thing he registered was the slam of a door.

After that, he was lost.

* * *

A lot of people talked about the third house on the street. No one had lived there for years, and no one was sure why the great old thing hadn't been torn down yet. Matthew Williams pondered this as he passed. Well, it was one less place on his newspaper route, and that was good enough for him. He pumped the pedals on his bike and turned the corner, not even noticing the "MISSING PERSON" poster tacked to the lamp post.

* * *

**I made a thing. I tried to make a scary thing, but I don't think I succeeded so there you go. **

**Fun Fact: England was originally going to be Prussia, and he was going to be a serial killer instead of... Whatever you interpret Arthur as. I tried to write him as a Fae, with all that implied, but if you want to read him as a ghost or something okay then.**

**I have always been fascinated by the idea of the Fae (or True Fae, as some call them), and I really wanted to write a fic with the Fae in it. But since I don't want to start another multi-chapter thing, I made this instead. I don't know how well his true nature really came across, but here's hoping it's not super obvious or non-existent.**

**I tried to pull England's Fae powers from how the Fae are depicted in _Changeling: The Lost_ so if that makes you rage then feel free to tell me. **

**Reviews make all my stories to come better remember! Especially constructive criticism!**


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